


I love you. Goodnight.

by neko_fish



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Pre-Kerberos Mission, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-11
Updated: 2017-11-11
Packaged: 2019-01-31 18:18:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12687657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neko_fish/pseuds/neko_fish
Summary: He stares long and hard at his phone.Sitting in bed with no intention of sending the message, Shiro rereads the words to himself over and over again, hoping that one day, he might gather the courage needed to say something to that effect out loud.





	I love you. Goodnight.

_I love you. Goodnight._

He stares long and hard at his phone.

Sitting in bed with no intention of sending the message, Shiro rereads the words to himself over and over again, hoping that one day, he might gather the courage needed to say something to that effect out loud.

Suddenly, the phone buzzes, startling him out of his reverie. Fumbling around, he switches over to the text he just received from Matt.

**_I can’t sleep. This is too much._ **

Chuckling to himself, Shiro types out a reply.

_You too, huh?_

After a couple minutes of back and forth with Matt, the messages stop coming. He imagines this to mean the other fell asleep with his phone still in his hand, halfway through a reply. Turning back to his original draft, he frowns.

 _(Sent & Read_.)

That can't be right.

Heart speeding up, Shiro rubs his eyes and looks at his phone again.

_I love you. Goodnight._

_(Sent & Read.)_

Oh no.

\--

**_I love you. Goodnight._**

His heart has leapt up into his throat.

Reading and rereading the message, Keith jumps out of bed and begins pacing around his room. Something’s off. Something’s wrong. Something has to be. For one thing, the message is too out of the blue. For another, Shiro’s not the type of person who would do things over a text message.

But what if it’s the real deal?

No. No. There’s no way.

Maybe someone took Shiro’s phone.

Maybe it’s meant for someone else.

Maybe…

Maybe it’s real.

He turns on his heel and takes a deep breath. There has to be a way to confirm the validity—a way for both of them to have an out, should worst come to worst.

Or he could be honest.

_I love you too._

It’s just four words. If he wanted, he could cut it down to one.

But what if it’s a mistake?

Bringing his phone up, he types his reply.

_Wrong convo? Haha…_

Please say no. Please say it’s the right one, Keith refuses to say out loud.

He hates that his hands are shaking.

\--

**_Wrong convo? Haha…_ **

There’s nothing funny about this.

His heart plummets and his frown deepens.

Shiro hesitates. Does he say no?

_No, that was for you. Sorry it’s in a text. Can we talk? Can I call you?_

Or does he take the out Keith is offering? He can retract the words and save it for another day—a better day where he can deliver them properly, face to face. It’s not something meant to be conveyed through a message anyway.

Unless this is Keith’s way of letting him down gently?

For all his walls and prickliness, Keith is full of kindness and sincerity underneath. He must've mulled over his reply for a long while before pressing send.

Shiro looks down his phone again and scrolls up through their previous conversations—in depth discussions about flight strategies, setting sparring times, and sometimes, just checking in on the other to make sure they’re healthy and well.

Would he simply be making the other boy uncomfortable if he were to pursue this? Would it ruin their friendship? Would he lose Keith because of this?

Despite his fears, Shiro already knows it’s something he needs to do no matter the results. He owes it to himself and Keith to be honest about his feelings.

But not today.

_Sorry! That was for my grandmother!_

This is something he needs to do in person.

On a better day.

\--

**_Sorry! That was for my grandmother!_ **

The disappointment is palpable.

Keith sits back down on his bed and flops onto his side with a sigh. Although the sting is there, he can’t help but feel pleased that his knowledge of Shiro has been validated.

Of course Shiro wouldn’t confess to someone over a text message. He would probably plan something simple—a private location to discuss anything and everything a confession ought to encompass. And he’d do it all with that earnest, encouraging smile on his face.

It’d be so very different from Keith’s version of a confession. He can see himself stuttering and fumbling for words. His face would heat up and the embarrassment would set in and build up. Then he would explode and yell and shout and _just say yes or no already!_

Crying would be a very real possibility.

He shakes the thoughts out of his head. As far as he’s concerned, that’s not an event that’s likely to pass in his near or even his distant future.

Turning his attention back to the text, he smiles to himself.

_It’s so cute that you text your grandmother that._

The disappointment still lingers.

\--

**_It’s so cute that you text your grandmother that._ **

Shiro can’t help but smile at that.

Crisis temporarily averted and stowed away for another day, he exhales and lies back down on his bed.

_Hey, I’ll have you know that that is the only appropriate way to end a conversation with a grandmother._

They continue messaging each other until his eyelids grow too heavy and he falls asleep.

That night, he dreams of riding out into the desert and sitting at the top of a dune, looking up at the stars. The moon is waning and the stars sparkle in the darkness. He looks over at the person next to him who is watching him with earnest eyes. Suddenly, they’re in a canopy bed overlooking the same desert. Reaching out, he tucks a lock of hair behind their ear and smiles.

_“I love you. Goodnight.”_

\--

The next day Shiro leaves.

\--

**_I love you. Goodnight._**

Sometimes, Keith likes to pull out his phone to read that message and pretend it was addressed to him. He reads it over and composes replies in his head. When that’s not enough, he types them out and erases them after if only to see it written out. They vary in length and range in bluntness. On some days, it’s a curt two-worder; on others, he writes entire essays and documents his day and how empty the garrison feels and how one day, they’ll both explore space together.

In his mind, he can see Shiro laughing, Shiro smiling, Shiro replying.

_It’s killing me when you’re away._

He deletes the words before he can make the mistake of pressing send.

\--

Shiro doesn’t come back.

\--

 

Epilogue:

“It’s killing me when you’re away.”

He blinks away the drowsiness. “What?”

Keith doesn’t shift, curled up against his side, half resting on his chest. “That’s what I thought after you left,” he whispers.

“Oh,” Shiro says quietly.

Outside the window, endless stars upon stars sail past them in silence. Everyone is asleep and the ship is quiet save the soft hum of its core.

“I couldn’t get it out of my head until I wrote it down, so I wrote it over and over again. I wonder why I’m remembering that now,” Keith muses sleepily.

Reaching up, he runs a hand through the other’s hair. “Were you thinking about home?”

Eyes fluttering close, Keith shakes his head. “No, I was thinking about you. It’s good to have you back.”

Shiro smiles. “It’s good to be back.” He places a kiss on the other’s head. “And Keith?”

“Hmm?”

“I love you. Goodnight.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Bonus:
> 
> At those words, Keith sits up a little and looks around groggily.
> 
> He arches a brow and blinks. “Is something wrong?”
> 
> Satisfied, the other settles back down and shakes his head. “No, it's nothing. Just wanted to check and make sure your grandma didn't follow us into space.”


End file.
